DULUTH — Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce President Matthew Baumgartner pleaded not guilty earlier this week to two charges related to driving while intoxicated after he was found "nodding off in his vehicle" with an open container of vodka after running through the gate at the downtown Medical District Parking Facility in September.
Baumgartner's blood alcohol content, according to a blood-draw analyzed by Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, was 0.295% — far exceeding the state's legal limit of 0.08%.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities responded to a call on Sept. 20 that a driver had driven his Nissan Pathfinder through the gate at a downtown parking ramp and was nodding off in the vehicle. Baumgartner, 39, was described as having the smell of alcohol on his breath, could barely open his eyes and was unable to speak.
In a letter to the chamber's board of directors and members, Baumgartner described the issue as difficult and humbling. He won't address the legal issues, he said, but offered context.
"During the three months since the incident, I asked for help and took a much needed and overdue medical leave to receive counseling from the professionals at Hazelden Betty Ford," he says in the letter.
He said he has continued to work on his mental health and life balance.
Baumgartner has led the local chamber since summer 2021 — replacing longtime president David Ross, who was in the role for 24 years. Before that, he spent 15 years with Grandma's Restaurant Co., where he was the general manager and director of government affairs.
Aaron Kelly, chairman of the chamber's board of directors, declined to comment on Baumgartner's case because it is a confidential personnel issue. Kelly said he found out about the charges on Oct. 24, though he knew that Baumgartner had taken personal leave from his position.
